Trenching machine



June 8, 1943.

A. R. AsKUE r2,321,352

TRENCHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 6L/ 55er Z ,45x05 June 8, 1943. A. R. ASKUE 2,321,352

TRENCHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 9, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 2 76 INVENTOR.

HL afer E /475/05 a/Zfw/ /lw/ f77/en@ Patented `lune 8, 1943 UNITED STATES Ars-Nr oer-FICE I TRENCHINGMACHINE Albert a. Askue, Mentor, ohio, assigner to The OlevelandiTren'cher Company, Cleveland;` (bhio,` a-corporation of Ohio ApplicationAugust 9, 1941, Serial Nol 496,158'

5 Claims.

This inventionrelates to an improved trench digging machine and particularly to that type of machine utilizing a digging .mechanismwhich is raised or lowered to determine the depth of trench dug or raised to vmove the mechanism entirely out of the ground to facilitate transportationof the machine from one job to another. The present invention is'particularly concerned with animproved mechanismforpositioning the digging unit. This, therefore, is the general object of this.-

invention.

`Another object of 'the `present invention is to provide a trench digging machine with an improved mechanism to position the digging unit relative to the machine frame and at the same tial -characteristics of the invention will be summarized in the claims.

In thevdrawings, Fig. l'is aside elevation of a'trench digging machine incorporating the present invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a machine illustrated in Fig. l; Fig.V 3 is a frag-k mentary plan view illustrating certain of the mechanism for positi'oningfthe digging unit, and Fig; 4 is a detail'in perspective illustrating other mechanism used'for raising andrlowering the digging unit.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularlyto Fig. 1, the present digging machine with which the invention has been illustrated comprises Va frame I0 supported by a pair of spaced tractorr belts II. Mounted on the forward end of i the machine frame is a'motor I2 and mounted at the rear end of the frame is an upwardly extending, forwardly inclinedguideway I4. A supplemental frame I 5 extends rearwardly from the guideway I4 and supports a digging wheel or unit. This supplemental frame is mounted for movement lengthwise of the guidewayto enable the raising and-lowering of the digging unit. Suitabledrivingmechanism, not' shown, but operatively connected with the-motor I2, is prvided to actuate `the tractor belts' and propelthe imachine. In'Fig. 1 the supplemental frame law-nich 'supyports'the digging unit lis vshown in' 'full 'lines in a digging or lowered position and. isindicatedby dottedv lines in an extreme 'lowered'position and also by dotted lines inv a"po'sitionfraised clearof the supporting surface 'of the 'machine to- 4facilitate transportation of them'achinefromv place to place.

The digging wheel-comprises, as indicated,v a pair'of spaced rings -2joined`togeth'er'by a plurality of digging bucketssZI; spaced about the periphery thereof. This wheelis supported'by a 'seriesf of rollers, one of' which is indicatedV at l5' 22 as being carried by a'frame23 which is secured tol the'supplemental frame member 15. Extending transversely 'across the 1 supplemental frame member I5v and passing through the digging v wheel is a frame 25;' which 'supports'a'belt conveyor '26, arranged to receive 'the material dug vby buckets `and discharge -it 'to one'side of fthe trench. The' digging'wheel 'is driven from :themotor I2 by a driving "mechanism, generally indicated' at 3ljwhich is coupled lby a flexible' drive chain 3! with a.' sprocket T32; carried bythe supplemental frame I 5.

This sprocket is 'drivinglyf connected to -the'rings 2i) of the* digging'fwheel' and isvlikewiseconnected to thebelt conveyorl.-

The digging wheel orsupplemental 'frame I5 comprises a pair of rearwardly extending vframe members 35, secured together attheir-en'ds by suitablecross frame mem-bers,` one of-whiclr is shown' iny Fig. 4at 35.- While fthe Adiggin g'-wheel is preferably v4mounted midway between the members 3E -of lthe supplemental frame, to' balance so feras-possible theweightthereon, it'will be noted that mechanism, such as the conveyor'Zt extends to'one'side of this frame, thereby throwringv the-weight on the'supplemental frame out of transverse balance. The sideof theframe adjacent the projecting conveyor has a tendency to lag during the raising movement and it is one of theobjects of this invention to yovercome -the tendency.

The supplemental frame I5 is supported at its outer end by a pair of cables 46. These cables are affixed as at il to the outer -end of the frame at opposite sides thereof. Each cable Il'extends froma point 4I vupwardly and. forwardly toa 'sheave t2 carried at the upperendof'one guideway member I4. From thesheave 42 each-cable extends` forwardly yover` av sheave-42 toY a sheave 43 and thence rearwardly -to `a-point i8 adjacent the other guidewaymember I4. Theyresult is members 41. Thus, iiuid pressure applied to the cylinder 45 will raise the outer end of the supple'- mental frame by an equal pull at its opposite sides, swinging such frame evenly and without distortion around pivots 50 carried by independent slide blocks I which are secured to opposite frame members 35 of the supplemental frame and slidingly coact with the respective guideway members I4.

The inner end of the supplemental frame or digging unit is supported by a pair of chains 60 each of which is secured, as at 6I, to the inner end of a respective supplemental frame member 35. From the points 6I, each chain 60 passes upward to its respective sprocket 62 or 63, which are secured to opposite ends of a shaft 64 supported as will hereinafter be more fully described. From the sprockets 62 and 63, each chain extends downward as at 65, and is fastened as at 66 to a rigid frame member, such as a bracket 61 carried by the respective guideway I4.

The shaft 64 to the ends of which the sprocket 62 and 63 are drivingly secured extends substantially from one guideway member to another and if desired may be provided 'with rollers, (not shown), but which may engage the channel surfaces 68 of the respective guideways I4 to guide the shaft in its upward movement. The shaft 64 is supported adjacent its opposite ends by a pair of bearing members 10 and 1I, which are carried by respective pistons 12 and 13. These pistons are op eratively mounted in hydraulic cylinders 14 and 15, respectively,`which are mounted in a substantially vertical positionbetwe'en and closely adjacent their respective guideways. As illustrated `in Fig. V4, the cylinders 14 and 15 are supported at their lower ends by brackets 16 which are secured to a transverse frame member 11 of the Y' machine frame.

The arrangement of the mechanism supporting the inner ends of the supplemental frame is such that skewing of this frame dueto unequal load distribution is eliminated. Assuming that an unequal load has a tendency to cause, say the cylinder 14 to lag behind the cylinder 15 when fluid pressure is applied to raise the supplemental frame, the tendency of the other cylinder 15 would be to raise its respective side of the supplemental frame at a faster rate of speed, but this cannot take place because the sprocket 63 cannot rotate faster than the sprocket 62, and the retarding load on the latter thus acts as a brake, holding back the action of cylinder 15 until the pressure has built up in cylinder 14. The action is therefore equalized and the frame is raised evenly and without skewing irrespective of local concentration of load. This arrangement, Vand the equalization of the support for the outer end of the supplemental frame already noted, insures the entire frame rising without skewing notwithstanding unequal loading. V

The arrangement of the hydraulic cylinders and supporting mechanism above described adds a considerable factor of safety to the operating mechanism, in that it permits the use of two cylinders and, because of the equalization of forces, eliminates any need for selected matching of the cylinders. In other words, even though one cylinder be more efficient than the other, successful operation of the raising mechanism is assured.

The cylinders 45, 14 and 15 are connected by conduits 49 and 19 to a suitable control valve generally indicated at 80 as being conveniently located relative to the operators position. This valve is connected with a hydraulic pump 8| of the usual type which may be operated from the motor IZ in the usual manner.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided an efficient mechanism for raising and lowering the digging unit of a trenching machine, which, even though the weight on such unit be out of balance transversely of the machine, the unit will be raised in substantially 'vertical alignment with the machine, and that this mechanism is so arranged that it may be economically manufactured and assembled without necessitating undue precision in the machining or selection of the parts to be used.

I claim:

1. In a trenching machine, a main frame, a mobile support for said frame, upwardly extending guideway members carried by said frame, a supplemental frame slidably mounted for up and down movement on said guideway members, a digging unit carried by said supplemental frame, means to raise and lower the said supplemental frame, said means comprising a p'air of upwardly extending hydraulic cylinders spaced transversely of the main frame, pistons carried by the respective cylinders, a pair of transversely spaced sprocket wheels, means drivingly connecting said sprocket wheels whereby they must rotate as a unit and means interconnecting the sprocket Wheels with said cylinders to raise and lower said wheels, ilexible drive chains extending from respective sides of the supplemental frame adjacent the inner end thereof upwardly over respective sprocket wheels and thence downward to points of securement fixed relative to the main frame.

2. In a trenching machine, a main frame, a mobile support for said frame, a pair of substantially vertically extending guideways carried by said frame, a supplemental rectangular frame slidably mounted for up and down movement on .said guideway members, means to raise and lower said supplemental frame, said last named means including a pair of hydraulic cylinders a'piston carried by each cylinder, a shaft carf ried by and extending between the upper ends of said pistons and rotatively journalled therein, a pair of transversely spaced sprocket Wheels drivingly carried by said shaft, a flexible drive chain extending from each side of the supplemental fra-me adjacent the inner end thereof upwardly" over one of said sprocket wheels and thence downwardly to a point of securement fixed relative to the main frame.

3. In a trench digging machine, a main frame,

` a mobile support forV said frame, a pair of spaced substantially vertically extending guideway members carried by said frame and at one end thereof, a substantially horizontally extending rectangular supplemental frame slidably mounted for up and down movement on said guideway members, a digging unit mounted in said frame, means to raise and lower said supplemental frame, said means including a pair of vertically extensible members disposed adjacent respective guideway members, a rotatably journalled shaft extending between the upper ends of said extensible members, a sprocket wheel drivingly secured to opposite ends of said shaft, a pair of flexible drive chains extending from respective sides of the supplemental frame upwardly over respective sprocket wheels and thence downwardly to points of attachment fixed relative to the main frame, and means to raise and lower said extensible members.

4. In a treinch digging machine, a main frame, a mobile support for said frame, a .pair of spaced substantially vertically extending guideway members carried by said frame, at the rear end thereof, a substantially horizontally extending' rectangular supplemental frame slidably mounted for up and down vmovement on said guideway members, a digging unit mounted in said frame, means to raise and lower the inner end of said supplemental frame, said last named means comprising a pair of vertically extensible members disposed adjacent respective guideway members, a rotatably journalled shaft carried by and extending between the'upper ends of said vertically extensible members, sprocket wheels drivingly secured to opposite ends of said shaft, a pair of flexible drive chains, each of said chains extending from a respective side of the supplemental frame at a .point adjacent the inner end thereof, upwardly around a respective sprocket wheel and thence downwardly to a point of attachment I'lxed relative to the main frame, and means to actuate said extensible members.

5. In a trench digging machine, a main frame, a mobile support for said frame, a pair of spaced substantially vertically extending guideway members carried by said frame at the rear end thereof, a substantially horizontally extending rectangular supplemental frame slidably mounted for upr and down movement on said guideway members, a trench digging unit mounted in said supplemental frame, means to raise and lower said supplemental frame, said last named means including a pair of vertically extending spaced hydraulic cylinders disposed adjacent respective gudeway members, a piston carried by respective cylinders, a rotatably journalled shaft carried by and extending between the upper ends of said pistons, sprocket wheels drivingly secured to opposite .ends of said shaft, a pair of flexible drive chains, each of said chains extending from a respectiveV side of the supplemental frame adjacent the inner end thereof upwardly over respective sprocket wheels and thence downwardly to points of attachment xed relative to the main frame, and means to supply uid pressure to said cylinders as desired.

ALBERT R. ASKUE. 

